China Shots #6

Favorites from China: China Shots #6, Xiamen and Gulangyu

Xiamen, including the adjacent island of Gulangyu, is a heavenly part of southern China in Fujian Province. We visited during the Qing Ming (tomb sweeping) holiday in April 2013. Here are some photos. We had a lot of rain, but also a lot of fun. It's beautiful even when the weather isn't. (Bonus: If you are coming to China, be sure to see my page of tips for survival: Surviving in China.)

Large shells of seafood being cooked and served on Gulangyu Island by Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, April 2013.

A pot of fresh crabs steams away on Gulangyu.

Massive shells from fresh shellfish serve as containers for seafood concoctions on Gulangyu.

Oops! I thought this was a dollar sign when I first saw it, but it is a religious symbol (the character for Buddhism). My mistake, one has to admit that religion and money are sometimes a little too closely connected. Ditto for religion and Coca Cola.

An ivied boulder in the lovely Botanical Gardens of Xiamen.

Flower and leaf in the Botanical Gardens of Xiamen.

Small waterfall in the Botanical Gardens.

A dragon guards a rooftop in the Botanical Garden area.

Wet flower closeup.

Wet flower on a rainy day in Xiamen.

A water lily.

Water lily on a rainy day.

Another view of wet water lilies.

Closeup of a wet water lily. Essentially untouched: this is how the original photo looks. Interesting surface texture from the drops of water.

Closeup of a wat water lily.

Statues of soldiers in a monument to the fallen heroes of China's Revolution.

Xiamen has abundant seafood. Here some large lobsters and other delicacies are being prepared.

Two popular food items on Gulangyu are passion fruit (lower left) and wax fruit (to the right of the passion fruit). The passion fruit is served with a straw through which customers suck up the viscous seeds inside the slippery interior of that strange, tart fruit. The wax fruit is crisp like an Asian pear, but a little softer and more sour. Both are quite good.

Street scene on Gulangyu.

A Christian church on Gulangyu.

A woman musician playing a Chinese lyre during a demonstration of ancient music.

A mansion on Gulangyu, now a cultural center.

Scene from a traditional puppet show. Here a dragon is momentarily down, but soon revives.

After a traditional puppet show, a puppet worker demonstrates how she makes the puppet move.

Another puppet worker demonstrates how she makes the puppet move.

A fruit vendor bravely sells passion fruit and wax fruit in the rain.

Another view of our brave fruit vendor on Gulangyu Island.

Fruit vendor in the rain, Gulangyu Island, April 2013.

Chinese young people play on the beech on a wet day on Gulangyu Island.

The modest beach attire on this rainy day isn't much different than what you would see in China on a sweltering hot day, except perhaps you'd have more men with their midriff exposed.